Child of Gaia
by AgentZwolf
Summary: The wizard from the story of the Four Maidens was known for his use of magic which he bestowed upon the Maidens, but what if he was just a guy with a semblance that involved the power of nature; fire, wind, water, earth, and lightning. If so, then what about nature itself, the various plants? What if someone had a semblance that involved those?
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

**Hey guys, Agent Zwølf here.** **sorry for not being active for a while, i've been busy with a lot of things, including college.** **For those of you wondering about my other stories, particularly "Messiah of the Holy Grail" and "The Einzbern Famillia" those will be discussed at the end of the chapter.** **So without further ado, enjoy the first chapter of my new story.**

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Child of Gaia

Chapter 0: Prologue

The Arc family, a noble house filled to the brim with heroes with over 500 years of family history, from the glory of Julius Arc during the Great War, to the majesty of Ark, one of the first huntsmen and first of his name. With his semblance, dubbed "Sanctuary", Ark pioneered the first settlements in Remnant, protecting the people within his barrier from the forces of Grimm.

The current generation of the Arc family was no different, with the Matriarch and current head of the family, Jupiter Arc with her semblance dubbed by many as "Living Thunder" allows her to not only produce lightning, but also able to turn into lightning and create creatures from lightning, though she can only create a limited amount of creatures from lightning, and turning herself into lightning for an extended period is very taxing to her. Even with those limitations, Jupiter is considered one of the strongest huntsmen on Remnant, even compared to her husband Sahara Arc, who is practically invulnerable with his semblance "Sand Body" which allows him to turn his body into sand.

The children of the Arc family are no different, while not all of them are huntsmen, every single one of them hold are influential in at least one of the kingdoms, and are held in high regard across all of Remnant. And despite not all of them being huntsmen, all of them have graduated from one of the academies, and spent at least 5 years as a huntsmen before pursuing something different.

Well, all except Jaune Arc.

Unlike his sisters, who venture out into the world, making a name for themselves as a Huntsman, an accomplished Singer/Actor/Director, a renowned Scientist, or a Military Strategist, Jaune wanted to become – of all things – a Florist. Well, he did want to become a Huntsman like all of his sisters did at a young age, ever since he unlocked his Aura he's had this….. "Connection" with nature, and he wanted to become a Florist ever since.

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 ** _Flashback, 8Yrs old_**

 _Jaune stood in his backyard, a large open space, littered with craters here and there from past sparring sessions between his sisters and parents over the years, coupled with a few hundred years worth of sparring between his ancestors. See, the Arc manor has been standing since the time of Ark, the first Huntsman, it has seen many Grimm incursions, storms and various other hazards that nature can throw at it, yet thanks to the efforts of the Arc family, it still stands tall and proud to this day. It was at this very backyard that Jaune's sisters unlocked their Aura's, discovered their semblances, and honed their skills. And thus, it is here that Jaune will also unlock his aura._

 _Just after his 8th birthday celebration, Jaune immediately ran out of the house and into the backyard, unable to contain his excitement. "Come on, mom! Hurry up!" The little Arc exclaimed, so excited that he forgot to put his shoes on before going outside._

 _"Alright, alright, Jaune. There's no rush, it's not like your Aura's gonna run away." Juniper Arc said, shaking her head at her only son's enthusiasm. Even after giving birth to eight children, Juniper Arc is still as active, and as strong as she was during her younger years. The Arc's are very well known for their endurance, even the women aren't excluded from this. Juniper was just lucky that her husband has endurance that matched hers – else the poor man might have been half dead by now._

 _"I'm just so excited, I can't wait to unlock my Aura, I wonder what my semblance is? I hope it's a cool one!" Jaune said as he stopped halfway across the backyard._

 _"Jaune, you know a semblance is only as useful-" She trailed off._

 _"-as useful as the person using it." He finished for her. "I know, I know. It's just, I've been waiting for this you know. It's my first step to becoming a huntsman like you guys."_ _Juniper took a glance back to the house, where Sahara, along with all seven of Jaune's sisters; in order of age there was the eldest Marigold, the triplets Lily, Maple, and Ivy, the twins Poppy and Magnolia, and finally Dahlia. All of them are older than Jaune, each of them being 3 years older than each other except the twins, and triplets, then there was Dahlia who was five years older than Jaune._

 _While Marigold, and the triplets were busy with classes at Beacon, and the twins and Dahlia were studying at Combat School, they wouldn't miss Jaune unlocking his Aura for the world – though they were partially thankful that Jaune's birthday was during the Spring Break. It was incredibly obvious that Jaune looked up to both his parents and sisters, and considered them role-models – well, except maybe Marigold, but he's not gonna say that to her face, not unless he had a death wish._

 _"Alright Jaune, since you're so excited. Let's get this over with, the faster we unlock your Aura, the faster we can start your training." Despite Juniper's trademark smile, Jaune knew it was a smile that promised pain. It was a no-brainer that Juniper's brand of training involved pushing your body to the limit and beyond, deliberately injuring the body, so a person's Aura can heal it back up stronger than before._

 _Jaune often saw his sisters on the on the ground during training, either in such excruciating pain that the slightest movements hurt, or they flat out fainted during or after training – though it needs to be said that fainting during training results in Jupiter using her semblance to wake up whoever fainted during training so they can continue – which scared Jaune, but he steeled himself for it. After all, what Arc would he be if he didn't stand strong in the face of danger?_

 _Jupiter laid a hand on Jaune shoulder, and spoke. "It is in our courage and selflessness that we become a symbol of hope. A paragon of virtue that drives back the darkness of the world. By the Creed of Ark, first of his name, I unshackle thy soul. May your power be used for the good of the world, and may our ancestors watch over thee in your journey." As Jupiter finished her chant, young Jaune started to glow brighter and brighter, until it was so blinding that the everyone else had to shield their eyes._

 _As the light dimmed, Jaune looked down at his hands, marveling at the white light covering his body. He felt warm, and strong, it was like someone put a really cool, really strong cape around him. He felt as if he didn't have to worry much about getting hurt._

 _"Cool." Was all Jaune managed to say, too distracted to realize that the grass beneath his feet seemed a little bit healthier._

 _Meanwhile, Jupiter Arc was panting ever so slightly from unlocking Jaune's Aura. The process of unlocking someone else's Aura involves pushing someone's Aura into whoever wants to unlock their Aura and pull it out. It was when Jupiter pushed a bit of her Aura into Jaune that she felt it. She had never seen anything like it before, Jupiter was responsible of unlocking the Aura's of 3 of her daughters. When she pushed her Aura into her daughters to unlock their Aura, she felt that their Aura's were comparable in size to lakes of various sizes._

 _But Jaune's? Jaune's Aura was comparable to a goddamn Ocean! Even among the Arc family who were known or their large Aura pool, but even then Jaune's Aura pool was gigantic in comparison. "Unless Jaune's Semblance is an extremely taxing one, I doubt anyone has a chance of beating him when he's fully licensed Huntsman." Jupiter thought to herself as she looked at Jaune – who's Aura was still visible. "I almost pity the poor sap who spars with him when he goes to one of the academies." She smiled as the image of Jaune just shrugging off blows from opponents like an immovable mountain. "I wonder if I should train him as a defensive fighter? Or should I train him offensively since his Aura practically covers any defensive measures he needs." Jupiter's thoughts started to cook up ways to train her son._

 _Meanwhile, Jaune felt something. The young Arc turned started walking away from his mother, seemingly in a trance. It was only when he stopped when he realized he had walked to the Arc graveyard. When you're a family with a rich history like the Arc's, a normal graveyard just wouldn't cut it. The Arc graveyard consisted of a row of statues of past heads of the family, leading all the way to the first Arc. His mother told him it was a way of not only honoring him, but it is also so that all Arc's will remember their roots. The heads of the family were lined in a row which created a pathway leading up to the grave of the first Arc, their statues standing tall and proud, their siblings, spouses and children – excluding the next head of the family – buried directly behind them._

 _Just at the edge of the Arc graveyard, stood an elegant woman with Forest Green hair, wearing a dress made of leaves, and vines wrapping around one arm. She was beautiful, her leaf dress covering the entirety of her body, except her one arm covered in vines, leaving much to the imagination. Upon noticing Jaune's presence, she turned to him, which allowed Jaune to see her eyes. She looked similar to Jaune's own mother, but not similar as in similar looks, but her eyes showed the eyes of someone who's seen the world in its entirety._

 _She regarded him with a sense of curiosity before it turned into a look of awe and bewilderment on her face, like she saw something amazing and didn't know what to do. Jaune was about to walk over to her and ask what's wrong, but the then the woman smiled and spoke. "It seems another one has appeared, it's a shame this isn't an appropriate time for us to properly introduce ourselves."_ _"Jaune!" Just as Jaune was about to ask, he turned to the sound of his mother calling out to him. And when he turned to the woman again, she was gone_.

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Jaune didn't tell anyone what happened back then, merely opted to say that he wanted to see the Ark graveyard. But since that day, he hasn't been able to get the encounter out of his mind. He spent days thinking not only about who the woman was, but also what she meant. The mystery's been eating at him for days, it even went to the point it hindered his training cause' he was too distracted to focus!

But that all changed just a week later.

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 _Jaune sat on the front porch of the house, deep in thought. Both of his parents were out for a few days on a mission and his sisters were all either in Beacon or Combat School, so right now it was just Jaune and his thoughts._

 _"Well, I finished all the chores, now what?" he thought to himself, he tried to think of anything to appease his boredom, but eventually his thoughts led to the woman he saw at the graveyard. "It isn't the proper time for us to meet? What the heck does that even mean?" He scratched his head in frustration, it seemed the more he mulled over the woman's words, the more it seemed to drive him mad. "Maybe I should go to the graveyard again, maybe she'll be there again?" He said to himself before getting up and heading to the graveyard._

 _To Jaune's credit, he was right, and in hindsight he should've come here days ago, maybe it would've saved him from the frustration._ _"Ah, so you're here. I was wondering if you'd show up." The woman said. She didn't even turn to him, preferring to gaze at the statue of the first Arc. Jaune found it weird she didn't walk over to it like everyone else._

 _"I don't really have a problem with guests coming over, but I think you're supposed to tell the owners you're here in the first place."_

 _"True, but what would that do? It's not like they can see me anyway?" Jaune supposed it was true, if she was invisible why bother- Wait what?_

 _"I'm sorry I didn't think I heard you right." Jaune picked his ear to make sure he wasn't hearing things._

 _"I meant what I said Jaune."_

 _"Oookay, does that mean you have an invisibility semblance or something?" He asked curiously._

 _"No." Was her only reply._

 _"That's weird."_

 _"Then so are you Jaune, seeing things no one else can." She let out a small giggle, something Jaune couldn't help but find adorable._

 _"So, you know my name. But I don't know yours."_

 _"How rude of me." The woman finally turned around and faced him, giving a light bow in the process. "I am Gaia, the very world itself. But I believe you humans referred me as "Remnant" nowadays." She said with a smile like it's the most normal thing in the world._

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Thinking back on it, his meeting with the very embodiment of the world was something that changed the entire course of his life. Since then, he didn't want to go out protecting people like his parents and sisters. He knows he can leave it to them to keep humanity safe. Jaune on the other hand?

He had a world to protect.

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 **Now, for those of you wondering why i haven't been posting new chapters of my other two stories, "Messiah of the Holy Grail" and "The Einzbern Famillia", there are a few reasons. The reasons include**

 **1\. My flash drive is gone, along with every single story inside it, including the half-finished chapters for the above mentioned stories.**

 **2\. In the case of "The Einzbern Famillia" i've been re-writing chapters 67 as i thought they could've been a bit better. Which has been rendered moot because of reason #1. Which will either take even longer for me to post a new chapter for that story, or i decide against it and just write a new chapter for it.**

 **those are the reasons why i haven't been posting on the stories mentioned. i knos it has nothing to do with this story, but i feel it needs to be said. i could always post this on the respective stories, but i didn't want you guys to get your hopes up only to be dissapointed.**

 **This is Agent Zwølf, signing out~**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey guys Agent Zwølf here.**

 **And man, i did not think i could finish this in such a short time.**

 **I mean, i have to do a ton of research regarding Gaia and anything relating to her in the Type-Moon Wiki. Including Alaya, the True Ancestors, the Ultimate Ones along with Crimson Moon.**

 **But enough of my whining, enjoy the chapter.**

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Chapter 1: One with Nature

In the city of Asile, one of the oldest standing settlements in Remnant. Just a few miles away from Vale, lies a small, unassuming flower shop called "Moonlight Garden", run and owned by Asile's very own Jaune Arc. During Jaune's 10th birthday, Jaune announced to his family that he wants to open up a flower shop.

It was a surprise that completely blindsided Jaune's family. Jaune's training has been going smoothly since he unlocked his aura, and while they didn't know of Jaune's semblance yet, so they didn't know how to respond. Well, all except Marigold. She believes that if Jaune didn't complete his training as a huntsman, he will not survive for very long in the future – though she worded it very differently saying that if Jaune didn't complete his training he'll become a disgrace to the family.

Jaune's other sisters along with their parents also expressed their concerns because Jaune had zero experience in either growing plants, managing a business or even growing plants. In response Jaune made a deal with his parents, that he will start a garden in the backyard, and if he is unable to grow and manage a garden with at least 20 different kinds of flowers, he'll drop the idea of starting a flower shop. For his sister Marigold he promised that in two years, the two of them will fight, and if Jaune loses against her, he'll continue his training as a huntsman.

They didn't really have a lot of confidence in his chances of winning both bets. Managing a garden of 20 different kinds of flowers, plus training enough to beat Marigold who was a 4th year at Beacon at that point? The chances were not in Jaune's favor.

But he did it.

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 _Jaune's family gathered around the dining room table. Jupiter, Sahara, Maple, Ivy, Lily, Poppy, and Magnolia are all staring at 20 different vases, each vase a different flower. They stared, and stared, thinking that maybe if they stared long enough it'll tell them its secrets. Meanwhile Marigold was sitting on the other end of the dining table, covered in bandages. Jaune on the other hand was already asleep in his room._

 _"How long are you all gonna stare at these flowers?" Marigold asked the rest of her family._

 _"Until these flowers tell us their secrets." They all said in unison._

 _"*sighs* It's not that hard to understand guys, Jaune won both bets. End of story." She said simply._

 _"It just doesn't make any sense," Poppy said, holding her head in frustration. "Some of these flowers are extremely rare._

 _"Did you use your semblance?" Jupiter asked._

 _"Yes, and it's all legit. Jaune looked for the rarer flowers himself. Heck, He has a Middlemist Red flower and a freaking Jade Vine!" Poppy's semblance "Psychometry", allows her to obtain historical memory from an object or living being._

 _"He even went so far as to build a green house in the backyard," Maple took a glance at the window to see a rather large greenhouse, with the lights currently on. "I guess we'll have to cut back on collateral damage if we don't want to ruin it."_

 _"Well, since you're all too busy having your minds blown. I'm heading to bed, I've got a log day ahead of me tomorrow." Marigold stood up and started walking out of the room._

 _"What're you gonna do tomorrow Mary?" Lily asked her elder sister._

 _"I promised Jaune I'd help him set up shop in town."_

 _"I don't remember that being part of the bet." Jupiter said._

 _"It's last minute add-on before Jaune and I fought this afternoon."_

 _"How did that go, sweetie?" Sahara asked his eldest daughter. "I mean, I know he won, but what exactly happened out there?" The family's attention suddenly shifted to her, curious as to what happened in the fight between Marigold and Jaune. Mary thought the backyard was "too small" of an area for Jaune and her to fight in, so the two headed off to the nearest mountain to settle their bet._

 _"Let's just say…" Mary's thoughts flashed to her fight, the sound of splintering wood followed by battle cries echoed in her mind. "Let's just say that being a Florist fits him just fine. Though I will say it's a damn shame he's not gonna be a huntsman."_

 _"Why is that?" Dahlia asked._

 _"Cause' the world lost another Arc legend." With her piece said, Mary left the room, leaving the rest of the family to wonder one thing._

 _"What the heck happened in that fight?!"_

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True to her word, Mary helped Jaune set up his business in Asile and it quickly gained a lot of traction with the diverse selection of different flowers, with the Middlemist Red and Jade Vines being the shop's best sellers.

Fast forward five years, and the " **Moonlight Garden"** has multiple branches in all four kingdoms and depending on the kingdom, the shop has flowers that are specific to that kingdom. Jaune took it upon himself to visit the various branches across Remnant every once in a while, not as often as he would have liked but hey, he can't be anywhere. Even he knows that.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to only pay this much? These Orchids are worth much more than just 250 Lien." A bearded old man wearing lab coat bargained while holding a bouquet of flowers, Sky Blue Sun Orchids to be exact!

"It's no problem Mr. Polendina, it's the least I can do. After all, it is for your wife and daughter right?" Jaune kindly declined.

"Yes, these Orchids are my wife's favorites, and my daughter shared her interest. It's a shame they didn't get to see them while she was still…" The old man trailed off as he looked down to the Orchids. Gepetto Polendina has been a yearly regular since he heard Jaune's shop sells Orchids.

Jaune smiled sadly and placed his hand on Gepetto's shoulder. "Tell you what, Mr. Polendina. How about this years bouquet be free of charge? How's that sound?"

Gepetto had to take a second to register what he just heard. Before he started pounding his hand on the counter. "Absolutely not! This is the problem with you boy! People give you a sob story and you're more than willing to give things for free, do you want to be exploited?!" Gepetto said angrily.

Jaune simply raised his hands in an attempt to appease Gepetto's anger. "Come on, Mr. Polendina, I'm nice not naïve. I know when someone's faking a story or not. Give me a little credit." Gepetto merely grumbled in response since he had a point.

Gepetto sighs and scratches his head. "There's just no changing you boy, you always seem to be so stubborn for the wrong things."

"Well, I can't argue with you there," Jaune leaned forward, his expression turned serious. "But if you really want to pay extra for the bouquet, you could get me another schematic. I'm almost done with my side project, all I need are the finishing touches."

Gepetto expression also turned serious. "You know that's a tall order Jaune, I almost got caught last time. I'm not saying no, but It's gonna take a while."

"I figured as much. I just need weapon schematics that's all. Nothing too high tech, just standard issue Atlesian Dust Rifles." Gepetto hummed and scratched his chin in thought.

"That's a lot more doable than Paladin weapon schematics since they've just entered the prototype testing phase." He thought for a moment before nodding. "Very well, you'll have the weapon schematics by next week, hopefully." He reached into his wallet and pulled out 250 Lien and placed it on the counter. "Thanks for the flowers Jaune."

"Pleasure doing business with you." He picked up the money, put it in the cash register and waved Gepetto as the old man walked out the door.

Jaune reached down under the counter and pulled up a "Be back in 5 minutes" card and placed it in front of the cash register. Before walking through the door behind him. He walked down a hallway and into a greenhouse directly behind the shop.

There were many kinds of plants inside the greenhouse, from Roses and Tulips, to Sunflowers, Hibiscus along with some Orchids. He walked over to a shelf near the door and picked up and blueprint and laid it out on a table.

The blueprint showed the picture of a mech-suit. The blueprints showed that it went through much revision, with the white ink on the blueprints being given either added notes or crossed out entirely with black ink. On the top left corner of the blueprints, you can barely make out the words "Paladin" being crossed out and the words "C.R.U.S.A.D.E.R" being written beneath it.

"While I never condoned these… machines. It's quite refreshing to see that human stay the same regardless of era." Turning his head, he saw Gaia, his friend/teacher for the past seven years. Ever since their 'formal' meeting, Gaia has been blowing Jaune's mind, putting it back together, only to blow it up again. From the existence of magic- sorry, Magecraft and True Magic, to the fact that freaking Vampires- sorry, Apostle Ancestors and True Ancestors exist and don't even get him started on the Ultimate Ones, Jaune still had a hard time understanding.

"Really? Did they make giant robots, airships and guns too?" He asked half-sarcastically.

"Yes, though it took them much longer than the current human Civilization to reach this point. And while I don't remember the specifics, the designs are drastically different and even work differently, the humans back then didn't have Dust after all." Jaune hummed, letting the info sink in. So the old humans didn't have Dust? It's a small thing but it's something to think about.

"By the way Gaia, what happened to the old humans anyway? You never explained that part to me. I mean, I know they basically committed self-genocide, but I wanna know exactly what happened." Gaia didn't answer immediately, merely opted to adopt an amused look.

"And here I was, wondering if you were ever even going to ask? Five years worth of conversation topics and this never came up?"

Jaune took offense to that. "Well, sorry for not asking sooner. I was too busy having my mind blown by the existence of Magic, Vampires, and freaking Aliens!"

"I keep telling you there's a distinct difference between Magecraft and True Magic! Don't lump them together! That goes double for the 'Vampires', they're Apostle Ancestors and True Ancestors. And what have I told you about calling "Ultimate Ones" aliens?! She scolded before sighing. "I don't know why I bother telling you about it, feeble human minds have always been unable to grasp concepts far above their own." She huffed and looked away.

"Well sorry for having a "feeble human mind", it's not like I was born with it."

There was a moment of silence between the two before Gaia sighed. "If you're so curious about it. A group of human magus started what's called "The Holy Grail War", it's nothing more than a glorified ritual that required seven magus fighting in a free-for-all battle using summoned souls of heroes long past called "Servants" until only one is left. The victor would then be given one wish by the Grail. And if there's no victor it would repeat in another 60 years." Gaia paused to let Jaune absorb the information. "There have been a total of 5 Holy Grail Wars so I don't think I'll have to explain how the first war went. Anyway, during the 3rd Grail War, the Einzberns – one of the magus families that started the Grail Wars summoned a servant named Angra Mainyu. It was pathetic and was the first to be defeated in that war. But as it turns out, Angra Mainyu possesed the Holy Grail and clung to it for the next two wars."

"Wait, if that's the case, what happened in the next two wars? Or did this Angra Mainyu guy just stay in the Holy Grail?" Jaune asked.

"Pfft, if that were the case there would've been a victor during the 4th war. To put it in short, because of Angra Mainyu, the end of the 4th war resulted in a cursed fire and killed hundreds and cursed the very earth and in turn, myself." She absent-mindedly rubbed a spot on her arm covered in vines. "It was fortunate that it didn't spread very far, but the damage was done. While the 4th war ended in a disaster, the 5th was the start of a series of events that resulted in the end of humanity, and nearly killed the world itself. It's a miracle I even survived this long." Gaia looked nervous, scared even. Never have Jaune seen Gaia so scared, not in the seven years he's known her.

Jaune literally had to sit down and take a minute to come to terms with what he had heard. A single person, no- a single deceased seal, brought back from death was caused a chain reaction that resulted in the death of the old humans and almost killed the world in the process. He was about to ask for more when the familiar chime of the front door rang, coupled with the faint sound of "Hey, Jaune! You in here?" made him drop his question and head to the door.

Meanwhile, Gaia looked to her arm covered in vines and pulled them back, revealing multiple black patches of skin – some larger than others.


	3. Chapter 2

**For those of you who didn't know, this story is now filed under the "Fate/Stay Night X RWBY" crossover archive.** **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Chapter 2: Making Plans

Jaune shivered under his layered coat, hugging his arms to preserve warmth while also trying to keep the bouquet in his arms from freezing over. "Gah, I d-d-don't know how the A-a-Atlesians can take the c-c-cold." He said in between the clattering of his teeth.

"This is one of the many, many contradictory strengths and weaknesses to humanity. Their ability to adapt to various environments, while also being weak to an equal number of them." Gaia walked behind him with this amused expression on her face.

"W-w-well that's b-b-because humans are able to adapt to the v-v-various environments because they have t-t-time to adapt to said environments. A-a-and most of the time t-t-they're able to adapt t-t-to these environments b-b-because they were b-b-born in those environments, giving them more than enough time to adapt." Jaune replied irritated.

Gaia hummed in an almost… proud manner. "Hmm, as expected. Humans are such resilient creatures."

"You know, for someone who once wanted humanity dead, you sure sound proud of them."

"Well, with the extinction of my True Ancestors, not to the mention the death of Crimson Moon, I have absolutely no means of protecting myself. So I took the time to learn about humans in order to be able to eventually manipulate and control one to do my bidding, but the more I learned, the more I came to respect humans. To be able to survive the various hazards I throw at them, and also surviving the looming threat of Angra Mainyu and his creations. Eventually I came to admire, and even respect humans."

Jaune seemed to beam with pride. "Hehe, well we humans are pretty resillient."

"Yes, a resillient virus. Adaptable, downright lethal in large quantities, and virtually unkillable without killing the world in the process. But resillient nonetheless." And, there goes a shot through the heart.

"And the Gaia that hates humanity is back." He said despondently.

"Oh, it's not an insult. If I'm not mistaken the old humans used to put viruses into themselves to grow immune to it. So viruses can be beneficial, in small doses that is."

"Gee, thanks." He said sarcastically.

He eventually stopped at the gates of a large, white mansion, with a snowflake emblem on the gates. Despite being quite a common colour in Atlas, it either worked well or worked horribly. With the white paint practically acting s camouflage under Atlas' near constant state of snow, it worked well in making a place nearly invisible from a distance, which helped when you have a safehouse somewhere in Atlas. What didn't help was that this camouflage kept places hidden even from owners, which is a real hassle.

Cases where people couldn't even find their houses aren't exactly uncommon.

"Oh, finally. I thought we'd never make it here." Jaune sighed in relief. He didn't want to stay out in the freezing cold more than he had to. And he couldn't ask for a cab either, drivers in Atlas are rare due to the ability to navigate in the heavy and near constant snowfall being a major requirement if you want to get a drivers license in Atlas. If he really wanted someone to drive him somewhere in Atlas, he'd have to officially hire them, and even then most of the licensed drivers in Atlas are already hired by the Atlesian upper class.

He walked to the wall beside the gates to find an intercom. After finding it, he pressed the button labelled "buzzer" on the intercom, creating a buzzing sound. "This is the Schnee manor, state your business." The other side of the intercom spoke.

Jaune pressed a button with the image of a microphone on it and replied. "This is Jaune Arc from the "Moonlight Garden" flower shop. I'm here to deliver a package to Ms. Willow Schnee." There were a few seconds of silence before the intercom spoke again.

"Miss Schnee has been expecting you Mr. Arc, Klein will show you to her." The intercom sounded a buzz and the gates slowly opened.

When Jaune walked inside the mansion, he was greeted with a short, slightly overweight man with balding brown hair and a large moustache. His red eyes seemed to scan Jaune for a moment before they shifted to a bright yellow colour.

"Ah, Jaune! It's nice to see you again. Did you bring the madam's flowers?" He said jovially.

"Hello Klein. It's nice to see you two. And yes, I did bring them. I managed to keep them from freezing." Jaune reached into his jacket and pulled out a bouquet of flowers… that have a sheet of ice over them. "Or not."

Klein chuckled at his misfortune. "Ah, such a shame. Worry not Jaune," Klein walked over to him and whispered in his ear. "The flowers aren't the reason you're here anyway." He then turned around and gestures for Jaune to follow him. "Now, follow me please. The madam is not one to wait too long."

The two walked through the pure white halls of the mansion. And Jaune – despite being here once before – thought if the Atlesians think that the abundance of the colour "white" was supposed to mean something. Cause' if they didn't, whoever decided to paint the Schnee mansion is subtly torturing anyone that live there. With how bland and boring the white everything of the Schnee mansion, it would be a miracle for someone to think of this place s home. Heck it hardly feels home at all.

Jaune could understand if the Atlesians paint the exterior of the house white to blend in with the snow for camouflage – though he still didn't understand why – but for the love of go, don't paint the interior to match the exterior!

Jaune was brought out of his ramblings when Klein started snapping his fingers at him. "I'm sorry, I spaced out." He quickly shook his head and apologized.

"It's the paint isn't it?"

"I just don't understand why they had to have everything white. I mean, would it kill them to put a little colour in this place? And I do no mean blue."

Suddenly Klein's eyes turned red. "Looks like Jacques wanted the house to match how boring he is." The two shared a short laugh before Klein composed himself, his eyes turning a light-brown colour. "Well, Madam Schnee is right through this door." He said when he stopped in front of a door.

"Thanks Klein. Is Jacques Jr. around?"

Klein's eyes turned red yet again. "Young master Shitley is learning for his father. Honestly, that boy is becoming just like him, maybe even worse."

Jaune grimaced remembering his first encounter with the little shit. "Oh, god. Hopefully the actual heir does much better."

Klein's eyes turned yellow again. "I believe the Little Snowflake plans on going to Beacon two years from now. Hopefully that'll help her grow out of her father's training and become a real Schnee heiress."

"Here's to hoping Klein." Jaune said before knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" Came the voice on the other side.

"It's me, Jaune Arc." He replied.

"Come in." Jaune opened the door and walked in.

The room – in contrast to everywhere else in the house – had a bit of colour on its walls. With the walls having a vibrant mix of orange and red with white clouds on top, but if you looked to the ceiling, you'll see that beautiful mix of black and blue with spots of white here and there made it seem as if you're looking straight into the night sky.

Sitting on a chair by the window, sat a woman with pure white hair tied to a bun, wearing and elegant ice blue dress. The dress was clearly made with movement and elegance in mind, the combat skirt was long, but not long enough to be a hindrance, and it had long sleeves big enough to hide something inside, but not large enough for it to be obvious. Really the woman simply screamed elegance.

"Are you going to just stand and gawk every time you come here, Jaune?" The woman asked.

"When you're surrounded by beautiful flowers everyday, you learn to just stop and appreciate the beauty of it." Jaune said as he walked over to her.

The woman gave a light-hearted chuckle while hiding the blush that adorned her cheeks. "Always the charmer, Jaune. Did you bring the flowers?"

He showed her the frozen bouquet of flowers. "I'm afraid they caught a little bit of snow on the way here."

"That's fine, just put them in the vase." Jaune put the flowers in the vase and the woman raised her hand close to the flowers and melted the ice on them.

"How are you, Willlow?"

"A lot better now that I've stopped drinking. I really appreciated your help back then."

"Don't thank him, he's not the one who came up with that drink." Gaia suddenly spoke up behind Jaune.

See, back when Jaune first came to the Schnee manor to deliver flowers, it was in the middle of one of Wiese's drinking sessions. And it was during this drinking session that Wiese experienced alcohol poisoning. With the help of Gaia, Jaune was able to make a concoction mix of Ice, Fire and a glass of water that helped flush all of the alcohol in Wiese's body in about two hours. (A/N: I know this isn't actually a thing. But considering that Dust is used for absolutely everything in Remnant I did this thing.)

"Of course, it's good to see you two Lady Gaia." She greeted the embodiment of the world.

It turns out that Willow was actually a Maiden, which was basically a woman with 1/8th of Gaia's power. Jaune himself has dominion over all plant life on Remnant and the Earth element, which is of Gaia's full power. The other half belonged to someone named "The Wizard" who held the other which was dominion of the elements; Fire, Water, Wind, Ice, Thunder, who gave his power to four women who then proceeded to pass them down to their own successors.

"So, Willow. What seems to be the problem? I know you wouldn't ask me to personally come here unless it's important."

"Hmm, I really can't hide much from you can't I?" She pulled out her scroll and handed it to him. "There's a dust mining camp 10 miles outside Atlas borders. It's one of the SDC's best dust mines, having some of the best Dust veins in Atlas, both in quality and quantity." She says as Jaune opened the scroll, turning it on.

"Doesn't sound like a problem, I assume there's something wrong with it?"

"I want it wiped off the map." Jaune froze for a second, before regaining his composure.

"You sure? I mean, wouldn't a Dust mine this good be a huge setback for the company?"

"There are six more just like it, and in much less frigid climates," she paused for a moment. "Among other things."

"You're gonna have to give me a little more reason to wipe out an entire Dust mine."

"It's all in the scroll." Jaune didn't like how she said that, so he looked into the scroll and opened up "Images".

He wished he didn't.

A few of the pictures consisted of Faunus workers being beaten by the guards with batons, both regular and stun variations, all while tied to a chair. A few more consisted of Faunus being tied to a chair with a sack above their heads, and being splashed with water. Another set of pictures depicted Faunus in a sorry excuse of a Med bay, their arms and legs either having cut wounds or entirely wrapped in barbed wire. Probably the worst one is a video showing a group of Faunus having an eternal smile on their faces, their facial muscles locked in place, constantly laughing.

It was absolutely disturbing.

"Once again, humanity's cruelty to its own people rear it's ugly head." Gaia remarked, her face showing a look of utter disgust, Jaune himself felt like he was about to puke on the spot.

"How did you get this?" He said, his hair covering his eyes, and his arms were shaking while holding the scroll.

"I had one of my spies look into the Dust mines, when one of then came back with this I felt I should look into it personally." She got up from her chair and walked to the window. "I saw all of that first hand. It's called "Camp Termina", a place where rowdy Faunus workers from all of the other Dust mines are sent to be... "Educated". They beat them, torture them, and if they're especially rebellious, get drugged with what's called "Jester's Smile". They use it to reduce the negativity there and try to prevent the Grimm from storming the place. And to think my so-called "Husband" gave them clearance for this." She clenched her knuckles to the point they started bleeding.

"To think my father and I agreed to let Jacques handle the Schnee Dust Company as the CEO. I feel so disgusted for letting this happen. I couldn't sleep the night I got back, the nightmares of those Faunus' screams filled my ears at night. It's maddening." She let out a shaky breath, trying to keep her composure. "I want that place wiped off the map, free the Faunus there from their torment."

"What about Jacques? There's no guarantee there isn't another place like "Camp Termina" sanctioned by that bastard." Jaune's voice gained a dangerous, he was more than willing Jacques the moment Wiese gave the green light.

"That scroll has more than enough evidence to put Jacques and his associates in jail for life and strip them and their families of their possessions."

"But with Atlas' prejudice against Faunus, the case won't gain much traction."

"I know, that's why I'm suing him in International Court. My contacts are looking into all of the Schnee Dust mines across Remnant. It's only a matter of time."

Jaune got up from his seat. "Coordinates?"

"I'll send it to your scroll, I'm going to need that one though." Jaune handed Wiese her scroll before walking out the room, not even giving Klein a second glance.

He had a mine to destroy.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

 **This chapter is partially inspired by the fanfic "Arc of the Revolution" by Aleadrex as will the next chapter.**


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